13 Yoga Quotes That Will Inspire You To Live Your Best Life

Practicing yoga has been a total game-changer for so many people. And if you see it from the outside, it can look intimidating as hell. It seems to be exclusive, all beautiful women with perfect bodies in expensive clothes. Then, to make matters worse, they can all balance on a single finger, stand on their head, and somehow look like supermodels while dripping in sweat in a 100 degree room. But that's not at all what yoga is about.

Yoga isn't exclusive. It has nothing to do with expensive clothes or perfect lighting. It doesn't need to go on Instagram. And, I know this is really hard to believe, but it's not even about being able to put your legs behind your head. It's not even about being able to touch your toes. The physical side of yoga is just one part of a much larger practice. An attitude towards life and a way of viewing things that can help make you feel so much more at east.

The physical side helps, don't get me wrong. Especially for us uptight, driven type-As who don't cut ourselves enough slack. The endorphins, the strengthening— all of that is great. But it's the mental changes that, if you let them, can make the most difference. So you don't need to be super fit or even super bendy to walk into a yoga class and get a lot of benefits. And these quotes can show you that so much about yoga is teaching us how to live, as well as how to stretch.

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"The correct attitude toward our possessions is gratitude not ownership."

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"Eat more plants. Do more yoga."

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"An awareness of the universe that triggers emotional responses too deep and mysterious for words."

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"Exercise is a celebration of what your body can do. Not a punishment for what you ate."

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"No knowledge is gained instantly. In fact, knowledge has a beginning but no end."

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"Don't practice yoga to get better at yoga. Practice yoga to get better at living"

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"Actually, I can."

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"Silence isn't empty, it's full of answers."

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"Sky above, earth below, peace within."

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"Some days you eat salads and go to yoga. Some days you eat cupcakes and refuse to put on pants. It's called balance."

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"Never underestimate a woman with a yoga mat."

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"May we exist like the lotus at ease in muddy water."

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"A rigid mind is very sure but often wrong. A flexible mind is generally unsure, but often right."

I know, it can be intimidating. I've been doing yoga for years and sometimes still walk into a class and say "FFS" when I see the army of Lululemon clones surrounding me and I'm just feeling a bit bleh. But once you get on the mat and can go into your own little world, it's all goes away. There's a great reminder that it's just about you and what you want to get out of the class. And, more importantly, what you want to take away from the class. Because a good practice should stay with you the rest of the day.

If you haven't tried yoga before, you don't have to become a die-hard convert to enjoy the occasional class and benefits. And even if you're a practiced yogi, it can be good to reconnect with the purpose of the practice. With the side of it that isn't about perfecting that forearm stand or twisting deeper than the person next to you. It's far too easy to become competitive and bogged down with creating the perfect shape. But you know, deep down, that when you do that you're kind of missing the point. So try and reconnect. These quotes can remind you what you're really practicing for and how, if you let it, yoga can make a huge difference in so many areas of your life. Just get back down to basics and focus on taking your practice into the world with you.

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